In the Making
by RanOutOfBatteries
Summary: Where Ying falls into the same bog in which Gon catches the Swamp King, and she travels alongside him wondering how she'd ever continue to survive. (Where a girl attempts to find home, but she decides to enjoy the world while it lasts.)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ying stared at the bottom of the well, blinking once.

"What the fuck," she said in surprise.

Currently Ying was located in the middle of a small clearing, crouched next to one of those old shingled-roof wells. Through the cracks in the bricks she could see the sharp outline of _something:_ once in a while, a sharp flash would spark and a cool mist rose from the depths of the well. She wondered briefly if someone had dropped radioactive material into the water.

Over the summer, she and her brother had taken a plane to Korea as per her mother's instructions. She would be busy with finding a buyer for their old scrap of a house, her mom had claimed, waving a stapled packet in the air threateningly. Her father was still drunk downstairs, and they could both hear his snoring even through the closed door. He wouldn't be up until late afternoon.

They were now residing in one of Korea's empty houses out in the fields, miles away from any large city or shop. Her grandma was old and sharp-witted, harsh with her words and assigning various chores that Ying now expected she'd have to do daily. She stood in front of the well now, eyeing the small shingled roof above the mouth of the well. She held an empty wooden bucket in her hands, the rope attached to one end. The other was coiled around at the base of the stone well, looping multiple times to indicate its length. She swung the bucket once, contemplating the light emanating from the depths.

The light was faint, she noted, watching it move in an entrancing pattern. Spots of light rose up and faded out before she could actually comprehend it, reaching out like small faeries before they pulled back, giggling. She wondered if she'd eaten something to make her hallucinate, or this was just some really strange water.

She decided to test the bucket.

Carefully she threw the rope over the pole hanging just above the rim of the well, letting it hang above the wisps. She let the rope go at small intervals of time, craning her head a bit forward. At least it wasn't poisonous to inhale the mist.

And suddenly, she felt a sharp pull.

Ying grit her teeth as she dug her heels in, struggling to maintain her hold on the rope. Did the bucket get caught on something? There was no way fish lived down there, and by the sound of it she didn't hear any sounds of splashing. She risked leaning forward a bit to see what was happening.

The end of the rope was gone. From the bottom of the well she could see ripples, but they were not from any sort of liquid material. Instead it was glowing, shifting in variegated shades of blue and white. She could briefly hear faint sounds of laughter. She instantly knew what it was.

Folklore from ancient times had been passed on from every other generation of her family. Her grandfather was a fantastic storyteller, but his claims were wild and impossible ones, things from fairytales: wells to another dimension, rings of grass in empty fields, fire spirits in the night. This was one of them: the soul-stealing well. She always enjoyed listening to him, but she never thought that any of them were true. She most likely hit her head after tripping on a stone.

She tried to pull back again, but the rope stayed taut. Grunting, she pulled harder. Grandma would kill her if she lost not only their bucket, but the rope as well. The bricks dug hard into her legs, and with a final curse she let the rope slip through her fingers, falling into the portal below.

"Shit," she said, falling back on all fours and pressing her lips together as her hands stung. The rope probably drew blood from the amount of friction she'd struggled through, and there were lines above her knees from prolonged contact with the well. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and scowled, knowing she'd be out for cleaning duty as soon as she returned.

There was a tug on her jacket.

"Wha-"

She was jerked back, hard. She craned her head, trying to see what had caught her, but again she was pulled. She attempted to shrug off the layer of clothing as quickly as possible, but this time she was too late. Her breath caught as she was flung over the rim of the well.

She was falling.

Instantly she forced herself upright, scrabbling for a hold on the well. Her nails were too short to have any purchase, and her fingers were further bloodied as she attempted to slow her fall. However, the line connecting her to the portal was still pulling and impossible to stop. "Fuck!" She held her breath and-

* * *

Warm winds came from the east, further proving his suspicions of no success. Gon Freecss was perched atop high ground, waiting for tension in the string to indicate that the bait had been caught. He's been waiting for that fish to catch for weeks. Sure enough, there was still no sign of it; however, patience was a virtue that he had plenty of. His breathing slowed.

He felt a bite. Instantly he was up, the birds nesting on his leaf-covered hat fluttering in distress. He shouted his approval and pulled hard three times in succession. It was pulling back in a struggle to escape. Gon wound around the tree, using the momentum to try and get the fish out of the water. The branch pulled under his weight, but the wire was strong enough to stay put. He could feel it coming.

Instantly it came out out of hiding, white streaks of movement indicating its ferocity. However, the telltale signs of blue scales were not there. It tugged free of the jacket (a jacket?) attached to it and fell a couple of feet, splashing back into the water. Gon could see flashes of definitely human arms and jumped down to get a closer look, instantly panicking. Did he just catch a drowning girl?

The girl coughed roughly, attempting to dislodge any water in her system. She was young, wearing dark jeans and a waterlogged black shirt that shifted noisily as she moved. She removed a few lungfuls of water before swiping hair out of her face and freezing upon eye contact.

"Who the hell," she asked, before thrown into a violent coughing fit once again. Gon thumped her on the back to help her get the water out. Slowly, she pulled herself up into a sitting position, dripping water onto mossy earth. She looked around, growing more alert by the second. "Holy shit, where are we."

"Whale Island," Gon chirped, inclining his head. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," she replied, wrangling water out of her hair. She seemed to be calm despite nearly drowning earlier, he thought, watching her fish out her jacket using the pole still hanging from the tree above them. She patted the pockets down before withdrawing something. "Huh. I didn't lose anything."

"Who are you?" He asked, observing the items she withdrew from her jacket: a butterfly knife, a wallet, a piece of strange coil bifurcated into two ends. She pressed a button on a device attached to her shirt and the screen turned on.

"It's still working? Holy crap."

She turned to face him, eyeing him with a strange intensity. He blinked once. "You wouldn't happen to be Gon, right?"

"H-how did you know?"

"Uh...just a guess." She plugged one bulb attached to the string into her ear and the long end into the device. After a moment, she removed it and placed everything back into her pockets. She slung her wet jacket over one shoulder. "Okay, okay, what are my priorities... Hey, can you point me to where civilization is? I'm starving and I seem to be lost."

"I'll take you to my place! You can borrow Aunt Mito's clothes while you're there!" She gave a thumbs up in response, turning the fishing pole in her hands. Her eyes widened a bit in recognition.

"Oh, man. You're gonna catch that huge crab-fish thing, aren't you?" She rubbed at her eye. "I thought I was imagining things when I saw it coming for me. I kicked it in the side. Sorry about that."

He was a ball of reckless energy. "You saw him!?"

"Yeah, yeah. Here." She rustled around a bit more in her other pocket before pulling out a plastic package. "Use this as fish bait. He'll come to it in seconds."

Gon's nose twitched. "Jerky?"

She laughed. "Yup. Works every time, especially with bigger fish." She sneezed. "Shit. Care to lead me before I catch a cold?"

Aunt Mito was a kind, motherly figure, worrying the second she stepped foot into the household and letting her take the shower as she gave her dry clothing to change into. Ying got out quickly and toweled her hair as she watched Gon flitter around, firing a barrage of questions in her direction. She bowed her head as bowls of steaming soup and dried fish were placed in front of her, remembering her manners.

"Thank you, Mito-san," she murmured, feeling warmth seep through her bones. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ying Li."

"Pleased to meet you, Ying." Mito smiled. "Help yourself. Gon told me about the bog."

"Where are you from? How'd you know my name?" Gon piped in eagerly, nearly falling over into his own food. Ying chuckled before leaning forward, face serious.

"I can tell the future."

Gon stared at her for a moment, and Ying wondered if he would believe her. Slowly but surely his face began to light up, and Ying marveled at how easily Gon left his heart on his sleeve. "Really?" He gasped. "Then do you know when I'm going to catch the Swamp King?"

"Let's give the girl a rest, now," Mito warned, ushering him away, though Ying could see the sharp glance of worry. She placed a finger to her lips and nodded as a signal that she'd keep her mouth shut. Mito's relief was plain to see, and Ying listened to the sound of stomping footsteps as they moved upstairs.

Ying closed her eyes and breathed in. She could smell the hint of spices and the sharp tang of alcohol, likely from the clothing Mito lent her for the moment. The house was small, but it felt homely. Warm light streaked in through the sunlit window, sparkling crystalline and clear. She smelled summer rain and faraway lands, seas that seem so familiar to her and yet so ephemeral. A bird sang nearby, perched neatly on a golden branch as it caught the sun between feathered wings.

She plugged one earbud in and began to hum.

\- In the Making -

Mito let her sleep in early after giving her space to rest, curled up on the mattress and breathing softly. Ying peeked through half-lidded eyes as dark shadows passed behind her door. It was too early to be up, but from the sound of the footsteps she could hear soft squeaking and the rustle of cloth.

"What are you doing?" She murmured. The footsteps froze for a long moment. "Gon, I know it's you. Get in here."

Slowly, the handle opened. Gon crept inside, silent as a snake as he pried the door open and closed it shut behind him. Ying nearly laughed at his guilty look. "I won't tell. Come on, let's go."

Even when he was trying not to wake Mito up, his voice was at a whisper-shout. She wondered how he'd ever survive as an assassin. "You knew I was gonna sneak out?"

Ying tapped the side of her head with one forefinger. "I'm a seer, remember? I'm bored, and catching this fish is way more important than staring at a wall doing nothing."

She unlocked the window and slid it open, peeking out to see the path she should take. She hopped a few steps back before taking a running leap, landing easily on a sturdy branch of the tree next to the house. A few leaves rustled, but that was all. She slid down as Gon came out next, carrying his fishing rod on his back. She looked up at the darkened sky and bared her teeth with a wild grin. "Which way's the wind blowing, Gon?"

"West," he said, almost in awe. There was a surge of excitement in his first step forward, heading towards the bog where she'd first arrived in this world. Ying didn't bother calling for him, as he was already a speck in the distance.

She wrapped her valuable items and shoved it into her bag, surveying the moss at the foot of the hill where the forest began. She knew where Gon was headed after the fish, and for a moment she was uncertain about whether to chase after him. Did she want to become a Hunter? She simply wanted to go home.

"Well," she sighed, starting to sprint after him. "Why not see where he goes?"

* * *

Hey hey hey! I have so many stories I want to start, and I'm getting them all out now. This is one of them, a fall-into-another-world trope. Hope you enjoy it!

If you know about Chinese legends like _Journey to the West_ and with navigating sailors, the four winds mean certain things:

 _Wind from the West, fish bite the best.  
Wind from the East, fish bite the least.  
Wind from the North, do not go forth.  
Wind from the South blows bait in their mouth._

Ying's grandfather taught her how to fish using the long river near their run-down house. She eventually learned to anticipate the weather by his teachings, so she's a decent observer as well.

Thanks for reading!

Gladiolus: Symbolizing strength and moral integrity, **gladioli** also represent infatuation, with a bouquet conveying to a recipient that they pierce the giver's heart with passion.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ying wondered at the size of the fish. "Oh my god," she said, mouth watering. "How many meals do you think this would make?"

Gon stared at her with way too serious of an expression. "A lot," he answered, nodding. "We probably shouldn't eat it, though. My dad let it go when he caught it, so I will too."  
"Darn," she sighed, then perked up again as a devious grin made its way onto her face. "What if I told you that with my magic sightly powers, I deduce that you _should_ eat the giant crab-fish?"

Gon frowned, thinking hard. "Well, why should I?"  
"You get super strength and a kickass meal." He shook his head, grinning widely.  
"Nah! Mito-san already makes me food! And I can train really hard to get strong, all by myself!" Ying shook her head sadly, feigning somber resignment.  
"You drive a hard bargain, kid."

Beef-jerky definitely did the trick; a little too well, to tell the truth. Both Gon and Ying could see the horde of fish attempting to chase after it only to be scared away when the Swamp King went to bite. And then it got distracted by the schools of fish trying to run away, and - well. It took until high noon to catch.

"Oh, jeez, I forgot how strong you were," she laughed as she saw Gon carry a fish a hundred times his size with ease. "This is almost a little bit cartoonish to be real."  
"Huh?" Gon tilted his head confusedly. "What do you mean?"  
"Look. Back home, carrying this fish all by yourself is literally impossible to do without breaking all your bones. This weighs over 100 tons."

"What's home like?" He asked suddenly, as they were walking back. How was this fish even alive? She briefly hoped they wouldn't kill it before they even got there. Well, it _was_ part crab... "You had a sad look on your face when you were asking, miss. It seems like you miss it."

"Oh!" She laughed, loud and clear. "Well, home sort of feels like your house, to be honest. There's this feeling like you're safe and you're never alone, and even when you're not feeling too good one day you still have your family and that's all that you really needed in the end."

She saw brief flashbacks that she didn't really have to think of too hard to remember - mom's badgering whenever she came down to eat breakfast too late and a smack on the head with a rolled-up newspaper, dad's stupid glasses half-askew on his face and his need to fog them up every morning with a cup of coffee (you dumb, dumb idiot, coffee doesn't fix hangovers even if you claim it does.) She rubbed the side of her chin to get rid of the warm tingling there.

"I see!" Gon's smiling too now, and she can visibly see his own memories going through his mind. "I feel like that too when I'm with Mito-san!"  
"Good." She smiled back. "Don't forget it."

(She couldn't very well tell him to never get mad, but when she looked at the back of his head and saw an older Gon - taller, long hair that was held up by the sheer force of his aura alone and dangerous beyond imagination she almost messed up her pace with her mind blaring _run, run, you don't know this person why is he here_ and she blinks again and he's bouncing on his heels, carefree and energetic.) She reminds herself that he's Gon, and he's only just beginning this adventure, and it doesn't have to go that way when the time comes.

 _She'll follow him wherever he goes._

And she blinks again because the townspeople are cheering and a crowd has formed near the fishmarket because Gon's dropped this thing at Mito's feet, and when Ying looks at Mito's face it's not joy she sees in her eyes but trepidation, a little fear. Their eyes meet through the sea of people and Ying nods similar to the way she did yesterday, and Mito's shoulders slump in resignation. They both knew what would happen.

She would be lying if she said that no harm would come to him, but if there was one thing that Mito knew with absolute confidence, then it was how Gon always kept his head up and he never gave up, no matter what the setback. Even if his limbs were broken he'd get up and climb a mountain in order to become a Hunter, because that's how deeply his determination affected him. (Mothers worry, Ying knew that, and what she _could_ promise was that Gon's friends would hold him back if he became too upfront. She wasn't heartless.)

Rage was a terrifying thing, and Ying hoped to God that whatever Gon did, he wouldn't leave them behind. What use were fair-weather friends, anyway? They would leave when it mattered most. Even if it was their own suffering that brought their group down (which means don't leave, stupid. We're right there with you.)

"Gon." He looked back at her, straight on in that way that only children knew so that they gave you their full attention.  
"Hm?"  
"You're gonna do great."

And although his stare turned a bit more assessing, trying to determine what exactly she meant with a less sunny demeanor, Ying flashed white teeth at him and he was back to normal, if not more aware.  
"You're funny!"  
"Hah? You wanna run that by me again, little man?"

And all was okay again.

They made the return trip before the fish managed to suffocate - wow holy shit this fish has some amazing breathing capacity - and Mito ushered them both back in, much to Ying's chagrin. She was starting to feel a little like a kid again. "Clean up, now, dinner will be in a half hour. I'd like to speak with Gon for a moment."  
Ying took the cue and went upstairs to take a shower. She couldn't hear anything as she undressed, so she shrugged and simply stepped in. She wasn't _that_ nosey.

She heard snippets of muffled conversation once she left the bathroom, and she knocked twice on the wall to alert them before entering. Mito's eyes were a little red and Ying looked away respectively, and Gon had his backpack on the ground next to a couple of folded shirts and socks.

"Thank you for letting me stay," Ying said, kneeling and bowing her head to the floor in a surefire sign of respect. If she somehow managed not to show enough while in someone else's house, her mother would spank her. Mito looks almost horrified when she turns her face upward, and Gon tugs her back up with a bout of laughter. She briefly untangles.  
"Hey! You don't need to do that to Mito-san!"  
"...Sorry," she responds, coughing. Her ears were a bit red. "Custom."

Mito promises that she doesn't need to do that under their roof, and Gon bounces upstairs with that ceaseless excitement of his. Ying opens her mouth to speak once she hears the door, but Mito beats her to it.  
"Please protect him."

 _You're going with him_ is a quiet question left unsaid, but she's pretty sure Mito understands because Ying had already known she was going to and was about to say it herself. "I'll try to hold him back," Ying finally replies, and the relief on Mito's face is both beautiful and heartbreaking. "I'll make sure he writes letters."  
"Three times a week," Mito orders, but the smile tugging at her mouth makes it hard to stay serious.  
"I don't think I can keep him in place long enough to write more than a paragraph, but I'll do my best."

Ying set the table and waited for Gon to come down before starting. They both ate like starved wolves, and although Mito told them to "eat slower! What if you choke?" and Gon actually did have something go down the wrong pipe, Ying laughed and thumped him on the back and it was one of the best meals she's ever had because it felt right where she belonged.

She loves this surrogate mother and her problem child, she's loved them ever since she saw them, and she'd damndest remember her promises. They were no longer fictional characters, and she was now a part of this story. She'd better learn to protect this kid to the end and beyond, and to do that she'd better learn to fight.

 _Somewhere deep in the pit of her stomach, something responded to that thought, a coil of tension that had been there all this time and had only just unraveled itself. Will was a strange motivation, sharp and fleeting, but it was strong and planted its roots so it could set the foundation for growth._

 _He's gonna do great._

* * *

I love writing and I pray to the lord that this never stops yEET - Thank you for reading! See you in the next chapter!

 _Alstroemeria: This flower is symbolic of wealth, prosperity and fortune. It is also the flower of friendship._


End file.
